New and Shiny - Market Manipulation

[Fred]

I don't follow modern card sales but I do understand that there are lots of "1 of 1" cards and other shiny offerings that seem to drive the value of the cards up for all sports. Personally, I don't get the crazy pricing and valuations for these cards.

What happens if a player with lots of potential pans out to be a star but not a super star. Does that rookie card or "1 of 1" start to diminish in price?

For a while there was a Trout card that just seemed to go ballistic. Trout's turning a great player. A few more good years and he can cement himself in as an all time great. But what happens if he suffers a debilitating injury? Do his rookie cards and "1 of 1" cards start dropping in price. What is the shelf life for high prices on these cards?

Does anybody believe there is market manipulation going on in these modern cards? Again, I don't understand paying so much for something that is relatively new and a gimmick that is created by a card manufacturer.

When I think of the distribution of these limited cards, I start thinking about the McDonalds Monopoly disaster that just put a horrible light on how these things are distributed. Does anybody know how these cards are "randomly" distributed?